The Gould Standard Pick Six: Week 3
Welcome, welcome, welcome, SEC.
Always good to have more choices for Pick Six.
I had a tough week last week, showing over-confidence in the ability of Oklahoma State, Louisiana, and Pitt to cover big numbers. And the ability of Georgia Tech to hang around. That’s how a tidy 5-1 straight up—don’t ask about Louisville’s poor home showing against now-mighty Miami—turned into 1-5 ATS
Oh, well. . .
At least I had Notre Dame in a blowout. Now, even the Irish are gone—their trip to Wake Forest sidelined by a Covid-19.
Oh, well. . . on to Week 3.
THE GAMES
(Central Flyover Time)
No. 5 Florida plus-14 at Ole Miss, 11 a.m., ESPN
Kansas State plus-28 at No. 3 Oklahoma, 11 a.m., FOX
No. 22 Army plus-14 at No. 14 Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Mississippi State plus-16.5 at No. 6 LSU, 2:30 p.m., CBS
No. 2 Alabama minus-27 at Missouri, 6 p.m., ESPN
Florida State plus-11 at No. 12 Miami, 6:30 p.m., ABC
THE PICKS
(ATS winner in bold)
No. 5 Florida plus-14 at Ole Miss, 11 a.m., ESPN
Kudos to Ole Miss for hiring well-traveled Lane Kiffin, whose star still shines bright. If Florida is going to be as good as advertised, Gators coach Dan Mullen and QB Kyle Trask (shown above) will handle this road test. But Ole Miss will keep it closer than two touchdowns.
The Pick: Mississippi
The Score: Gators, 31-20
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Kansas State plus-28 at No. 3 Oklahoma, 11 a.m., FOX
Giving 28 points to the team that won last year? Just a hunch. And the belief that Oklahoma will get a big game from Heisman hopeful Spencer Rattler.
The Pick: Oklahoma
The Score: Sooners, 49-13
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No. 22 Army plus-14 at No. 14 Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Cincinnati is awfully good. But Army is pretty good. And awfully good at clock-draining ball-control drives.
The Pick: Cincinnati,
The Score: Bearcats, 31-20
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Mississippi State plus-16.5 at No. 6 LSU, 2:30 p.m., CBS
Mike Leach in Starkville? That’s getting a lot of hype. And yes, LSU has sent a platoon to the NFL. But the Tigers still have enough fresh talent to roar.
The Pick: LSU
The Score: Tigers, 38-17
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No. 2 Alabama minus-27 at Missouri, 6 p.m., ESPN
The only person who can keep Alabama from winning big is Nick Saban. And maybe not even him. Missouri seems to be Covid-addled. The Tide should be champing at the bit.
The Pick: Alabama
The Score: Crimson Tide, 45-13
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Florida State plus-11 at No. 12 Miami, 6:30 p.m., ABC
Miami hasn’t gotten this much prime-time coverage since Don Johnson was solving crimes in fancy threads. But the Hurricanes do have a sexy offense. And FSU is not looking sharp at all.
The Pick: Miami
The Score: Hurricanes, 35-20
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LAST WEEK ATS: 1-5. . . THIS SEASON: 5-7
LAST WEEK STRAIGHT UP: 5-1. . . THIS SEASON: 9-3